1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for a reclining chair, according to the preamble of claim 1.
2. Description of Background Art
There is a number of reclining chairs/functional sofas on the marked which, by using different systems, can be adjusted from sitting to lying position. For many of these reclining chairs/functional sofas, it is typical that they have a linkage between the seat- and back-section. This linkage leads to that some of the models have back sections which can rotate about a transversal axes that passes through these linkages between the seat- and back-section. For reclining chairs/functional sofas intended for private use, the back section normally rotates about a stationary axis somewhere higher up on the back section. This axis is normally placed at the same height as the elbow for a person sitting straight up in the chair.
It is important for a reclining chair/functional sofa to give the most comfortable resting position for a user as possible and in this connection it is important that the back of the user get a support which is as good as possible in all reclining positions of the chair. When a person is sitting straight up the back will have an S-shape while when it is reclined backwards the back will have a more straight and stretched shape. When the back has a S-shape, it is ergonomically correct that the chair give support to the lower back and at the neck while the support shall be more evenly positioned when a person is reclined backwards or is “lying”.
There are a number of known solutions for changing the form of the back section to a reclining chair. Some of these are manual where the user adjust these according to his/hers own wishes during or before use. The disadvantage with manual solutions are that by changing the sitting position the need to change these manual adjustments will increase to maintain the comfort of using the chair.
For those reclining chair solutions where there are no possibilities for adjustment, the lower back support is fixed for upright sitting position and will thus often be too dominating and unpleasant when the reclining chair is in its reclining position. This means that the lower back support will be more and more noticeable and unpleasant as the back section is reclined. Another solution is that one make use of the upholstery which will give sufficient support at an upright position and that the upholstery will be stretched to reduce the support when in declined position. However, the use of extra support in the upholstery often give a limited effect with regards to what type of upholstery can be used and what of fabric is used to protect it. Another disadvantage is the appearance of the reclining chair which, with the solution described above, often give a wrinkled surface at the lower back section in upright position. For those solutions which are semiautomatic or fully automatic, the mechanisms are often large in size and thus give limitations in the shape and choice of fabric for the upholstery on the back section.
References are made to Norwegian patent application NO 1999 1983; Norwegian patent 176 384, 313 783 and 314 563; and International Application WO 92/006621.